Member Directory

Taylor Stewart, a LEARN charter alumna, graduated from Walter Payton College Prep and went on to New York University, where she expects to graduate in spring 2020. A hospitality management major, Stewart came back to LEARN in 2013 for an internship that supported her professional goals.

Chris Stewart is the Chief Executive Officer of Education Post, a media project of the Results in Education Foundation. He was named CEO of Education Post in April 2019, after formerly serving as chief executive of Wayfinder Foundation.

In 2007 Chris was elected to the Minneapolis Public Schools Board of Education. In that role, he helped establish the Office of New Schools, an area of the Minneapolis Public Schools to implement school reform strategies. At the same time he created the Equity and Achievement Committee, authored a board-level “Covenant with the African American Community,” and advocated safe, orderly, and rigorous schools that prepare students for the real world.

Chris serves as chair of the board of SFER’s Action Network and also serves on the board of Ed Navigators. Chris is based in the Minneapolis area and can be found on Twitter: @citizenstewart .

From local neighborhoods to the State Capitol, Josh advocates to ensure that all Minnesota students, especially those most underserved, have access to a great education. He previously worked in D.C., where he transformed his passion for public policy into a fulfilling vocation, or, as his friends put it, made a living out of doing something “activisty”—first at the Human Rights Campaign and later on Capitol Hill. Josh holds a bachelor’s in Political Science and Religion from Santa Clara University. When he’s not working for Minnesota’s kids or spending time with his partner, Jon, in their North Minneapolis home, Josh operates an adult LGBT kickball league that benefits local homeless youth.

Anita Thawani Bucio teaches English and AVID at Evanston Township High School and mentors new teachers as an instructional coach and professional development facilitator. She is a 2019-20 Teach Plus Illinois Policy Fellow

Cassandra Kaczocha is the mom of two CPS middle graders and a public education advocate. She is passionate about racial equity and ensuring that all kids get high-quality education through our public schools.

Sara Urben is a National Board Certified elementary school teacher who leads professional development with educators from around the city. She is passionate about purposeful play in the classroom, the benefits of bilingual education, and literacy as a social justice issue.

Chicago native Katrina Adams is the founder of STARR Community Services Inc. (Striving to Achieve Righteous Realities). Katrina has started over 150 FIRST Robotics teams around Chicago and the South Suburban region, and has sustained/started robotics teams in Lagos, Nigeria and Kigali, Rwanda. Katrina is currently pursuing a Dual Masters in Public Administration/Political Justice and her mission is to make sure every disadvantaged community is exposed to and prepared for the STEM opportunities of the future.

Philissa Cramer is managing editor of Chalkbeat. She previously cofounded GothamSchools, now Chalkbeat New York, and was its bureau chief until 2014.

Steve Rhodes is the editor and publisher of The Beachwood Reporter, the world’s wittiest Chicago-centric news and culture review. He previously spent a life working for newspapers and magazines, including the Chicago Tribune, Newsweek and Chicago Magazine.